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Planning Your Own Local International Coastal Cleanup Event

Each year on the third Saturday in September*, hundreds of thousands of volunteers comb lakes, rivers, and beaches around the world for litter. They are at the heart of the International Coastal Cleanup. Last year, nearly half-a-million people from 108 countries and locations and 45 US states removed 7.4 million pounds of trash from our waterways.

As a coordinator, you will take a lead role on the front line of one of the world's most preventable problems. Together with Ocean Conservancy, you will work to find suitable partners in your state to help target appropriate sites for conducting cleanups. You are not alone in the job; you will recruit other like-minded volunteers to act as site captains, who take responsibility for specific cleanups. Your network of captains will help you coordinate and carryout cleanups throughout your state and recruit local sponsors.

Who Does What

Ocean Conservancy: Organizes/supports the state and country coordinators.
State/Country Coordinator: Organizes the Cleanup at the state or country level.
Zone Captain: Organizes the Cleanup within the scope of counties or cities.
Site Captain: Oversees the Cleanup at a single location/site.

Ocean Conservancy and the ICC coordinators work together to organize and implement the ICC. The coordinator will undertake the following steps to ensure that the Cleanup event runs smoothly:

Before the Cleanup
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During the Cleanup
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During the Cleanup
*Note: While Cleanup events usually take place on the third Saturday of September, they may be held any time in September or October to accommodate scheduling considerations such as religious or commemorative holidays or extreme weather.
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